MANDASAUR: Seven persons were killed today and 26 others injured when a passenger bus hit two motorcycles and fell in a dry culvert near Dhamania village in Mandsaur district, about 75 kms away from here.
District Collector OP Shrivastava said the bus was headed towards Bhanpura when the mishap occurred this morning.
He said the driver of the bus could have lost the control over the vehicle in a bid to save two motorcycles coming from the opposite direction.
However, the bus hit the motorcycles before landing in the dry culvert, he said.
Shrivastava said the injured persons were admitted in two hospitals at Shamgarh and Mandsaur.
The kin of each of the deceased were immediately provided a financial assistance of Rs 15,000, the collector said.
District superintendent of police Manoj Kumar Singh said it was possible that two motorcycles suddenly came in front of the bus and the driver, while trying to save them, lost control over the vehicle.
While three out of the four persons riding on the two motorcycles died, another person sustained injuries, he said.
Six of the seven deceased are identified as Sushil Jain (50), Vishu Khatik (4), Rahul Joshi (24), Bindu Joshi (22), Ishwar Singh (20), and Nandkishor (48).